Stealth coach diagnosed with throat cancer

Published 10:17 pm Saturday, November 5, 2011

EVERETT — Washington Stealth head coach Chris Hall has been diagnosed with throat cancer the team announced Saturday morning.

Hall found out about the diagnosis early last week and informed the players of his condition via conference call on Saturday. Hall is expected to miss portions of the Stealth’s training camp beginning in December and the beginning of the 2012 season.

In Hall’s absence, defensive coordinator Art Webster will lead the team.

The cancer was discovered after Hall felt some irritation in his throat. He visited his doctor in Victoria, British Colombia, where an abnormality was discovered on his right tonsil. A biopsy determined that the growth was cancerous, but Hall was told that the tumor is localized and is expected to be fully treatable. Hall will begin a four-to-six week radiation process immediately to eliminate the tumor.

“I’m looking forward to the treatment,” Hall said in a press release. “Like anything in life, I want to take the bull by the horns and face it head on. I am happy that we have a plan and this is curable. I want to beat this and get back on the floor with the team and work towards winning another championship.”

Hall is entering his fourth season as the head coach of the Stealth and has led the team to back-to-back championship games in the franchise’s first two years in Everett, winning the Champion’s Cup in 2009.

The news was a blow to the tight-knit Stealth organization.

“Something like this really puts things in perspective,” Stealth captain Jason Bloom said. “First and foremost, this team is a family. Lacrosse is secondary right now and as a team, we are behind coach Hall and his family 110 percent. And on the floor, we are going to play with the same focus and heart that he’s instilled in us and make sure when he returns, we are in a position to accomplish our team’s goals.”

Hall said he is confident in the team’s ability to succeed in his absence.

“We have a great organization from the ownership to the players and coaching staff,” Hall said. “If one piece of the team is missing, the other parts step up and fill in the gap. This shouldn’t be a set back as far as our preparation for the season and continuing our winning ways. I am confident the team will do what is always expected of them on and off the floor.”

Stealth owner Denise Watkins expressed her support of Hall and said his own personal awareness of his health led to the early detection of the cancer.

“The thoughts and support of the Stealth organization are with Chris and his family,” Watkins said. “The most important thing right now is his health, and helping him in every way possible is our number one priority. Coach Hall’s experience as an athlete and awareness of his personal health helped him catch this early, which physicians say will increase his odds at beating this disease.”

Hall ranks fourth on the National Lacrosse League’s all-time wins list with 69 career victories and is just one of three coaches in NLL history to win a championship with two different teams.

But Hall’s focus is on winning a more important battle.

“We all face little bumps in the road throughout life, but this is more than a little bump and I need to pay my full attention to this,” Hall said. “This is a very close-knit, family oriented organization and knowing I have their support makes me extremely happy and even more confident I will beat this.”